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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

P. WRIGHT. TRANSFORMER ELECTRIC LIGHTING SYSTEM.

No. 521,924. Patented June 26, 1894.

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

P. WRIGHT. TRANSFORMER ELECTRIC LIGHTING SYSTEM.

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PETER WEIGHT, 01 PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNITED GASIMPROVEMENT COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

TRANSFORMER ELECTRIC-LIGHTING SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 521,924, dated June 26,1894.

Application filed December 9, 1 893. Serial No. 493,208- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PETER WRIGHT, a'citizen of the United States,residing at the city of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia andState of Pennsylvania, have invented cer tain new and usefulImprovements in Transformer Electric-Lighting Systems, of which thefollowing is a specification.

Theoretically no current should traverse the primary circuit and coil ofa transformer when the secondary or lamp circuit is broken, for exampleby the extinguishinent of the lamps disposed therein. Practically,however an appreciable quantity of current traverses or leaks throughthe primary coil and circuit when the secondary or lamp circuit isbroken, for example, by the extinguishment of the lamps; and thisleakage current through the primary circuit and coil gives rise toconsiderable loss and waste, especially in the case of halls, churches,and other buildings which are only lighted occasionally or atcomparatively long intervals.

The principal objects of my present invention are, first; to provide forthe-simple, automatic and practical interruption of the primary circuitsubsequent to the interruption of the secondary or lamp circuit, (duefor example to the extinguishment of the hall or vestibule light orlamp) whereby the loss of current incident to the above mentionedleakage, is obviated. Second; to provide compact, simple, and reliablemechanical and electrical means for controlling the interruption of theprimary and secondary circuits in such manner that the secondary circuitis broken or interrupted before the primary circuit, so that freedomfrom sparking at the terminals of the primary circuit is insured for thereason that when the primary circuit is broken it is carrying theleakage current only, and not the normal current, it being understoodthat as soon as the secondary or lamp circuit is interrupted, theprimary circuit carries only the leakage current above referred to.Third; to provide compact, durable, and efficient switch mechanism andconnections for controlling the secondary or lamp circuit and also thelocal circuit and its mechanical devicesthat operate to make and breakthe primary circuit, and fourth; to provide convenient, compact andcomparatively inexpensive circuit controlling mechanism and mechanicaland electrical devices for starting and stopping the same to effect themaking and breaking of the local and of the primary circuits. 4'

In my invention, use is made of positively driven mechanism adapted tomake and break the primary circuit, of a local circuit and batteryconnections and an electro magnet for releasing said mechanism, and of amanual switch adapted to make and break the secondary or lamp circuitand also to control the local circuit, the construction and arrangementbeing such that when the manual switch is turned to make or break thesecondary or lamp circuit, it also operates to close the local circuitthrough one of two conductors and an electro magnet whereby thepositively driven mechanism is setin motion and operates first; to breakthe local circuit, then to make or break the primary circuit and alsoclose the other conductor of the local circuit; and finally to beautomatically brought to rest.

My invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described andparticularly re ferred to in the claims.

The nature, characteristic features, and scope of my invention will bemore fully understood from the following description taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, and in which-Figure 1 is an elevational view partly in section of the positivelydriven mechanism for making and breaking the primary circuit, showingthe centrally pivoted armature of the electro magnet having one of itsextremities disposed in range of a' cam-wheel and the other of itsextremities adapted to be shifted into and out of range of a revolvingarm. Fig. 2, is atop or plan view of the same showing also the switchfor making and breaking the primary circuit and also the circuitinterrupter for making and breaking the electrical continuity of the twolike conductors of the local circuit. Fig. 3, is an'elevational Viewillustrating the automatic circuit breaker for controlling the localcircuit. Fig. 4, is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.Fig. 5, is aview of the manual switch with its exterior housing removed.

Fig. 6, is a sectional View taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7, isa similar view taken on the line 77 of Fig. 5, and Fig. 8, is adiagrammatic view illustrating mechanism embodying features of myinvention arranged for use.

In the drawings a a, Fig. 8, is a line circuit which is in practiceusually strung on poles or located in conduits disposed along the streetor highway.

I) b, is a primary circuit which is led from the line circuit inparallel and includes the primary coil of the transformer c.

d d, is the lamp or secondary circuit and leads from the transformer c,(which is usually located outside of the building) into the hall,church, or other apartment in which the current is to be utilized, forexample to light the lamps e, which, in the present instance, arearranged in parallel. For the sake of a further description of myinvention it will be assumed that the lamp 6', is located in the hall,vestibule, or hallway and consequently is the last lamp to beextinguished upon leaving and the first to be lighted upon entering thebuilding. The other lamps 6, may be provided with switches or cut-outseither individually or otherwise for lighting or turning them out as maybe required.

f, is a suitable housing which may be provided with a transparent windowfor convenience of observationand which is secured in any convenientlocation, for example outside of the building and in proximity with thetransformer c.

f','is an insulating piece or block secured within the housing f, andadapted to support the positively driven mechanism. The latter, Figs. 1and 2, comprises a train of intermeshing gear or spur wheels g, g, g g gg and g, (the number being immaterial) operated in the present instance,by means of a spiral spring 5, having pawl-and-ratohet connections 8,whereby the spring may be wound up through the intervention of a keyadapted to engage the squared arbor or in any otherconvenient manner.However, means other than the spring .9, for example a weight or smallelectric motor may be employed for driving the train of gear or spurwheels.

h, is a shaft driven by the train of gears above referred to through theintervention of a lantern wheel h, and provided in the present instance,with a speed controlling fan h This shaft h, is provided with radialarms 7L adapted to collide with a detent, lug or projection '0', appliedto or formed integral with one end of a centrally pivoted armature lever2", when the latter is not attracted by its electro magnetj, as isillustrated in Fig. 1, in order to prevent revolution of the train ofgears. However, the detent, lug or projection "Z, is normally solicitedinto range of the arms h by means of a springt, that engages at its freeend with a post 25, applied to one of the vertical plates i that supportthe mechanism and also the shafts or arbors of the gear wheels. Theinfluence of the spring 16, is, under certain circumstances to behereinafter more fully explained, overcome or counterbalanced by thehigh parts 7;, of a cam-wheel 7a, which parts contact with and lift upthe rear end 1?, of the armature lever, thus pushing the detent, lug orprojection 1', out of range of the arms 7L3, it being understood thatwhen the end "Z of the armature lever rests in the low parts of thecam-wheel 7c, the spring 25, lifts the detent, lug or projection 1;,into range of the arms 72/ The cam-wheel 7a, is mounted upon a shaft Z,Fig. 2, adapted to be rotated through the intervention of a spur-wheelZ, meshing with the spur-wheel 9 when the train of gears is in motion.This shaft Z, is provided with a switch m, having electrically connectedcontacts m, disposed diametrically opposite each other and separated byinsulating material WP.

77. n are brushes interposed in the primary circuit Z) Z), and adaptedto rest upon the insulating parts m when the switch m, is in oneposition in order to break the primary circuit, and to rest upon theconducting electrically connected contacts m, 'when the switch is in theother position in order to complete the primary circuit through thebridge pieces m that connect the contacts m;

The automatic circuit breaker comprises a serrated disk 0, mounted uponthe shaftZ, and provided with pins or projections 0, 0 0 and 0 disposedat intervals of ninety degrees apart and located alternately on oppositesides thereof.

p and p, Figs. 2, 3, and 8, are spring contacts depending from a post 29electrically connected with the framework i and thence with one end ofthe coils of the magnetj, as shown at 19 Figs. 1 and 8. The other end ofthe coils of the electro magnetsj, is connected with a binding post 19insulated from the framework 25 Fig. 8, and this binding post isconnected by means of a conductor q, comprising part of a local circuit,with one terminal of a local battery or source of electric energy g. Inthe present instance, this local battery (1', is located within thehousingf; however, it may be located at any convenient point. The springcontactp, is provided with a branch 13 the free end of which rests upona pivoted detent or pawl 19, and forces the free end of the latter intoengagement with the serrated edge of the disk 0, in order to insureperfect contact. These spring contacts p and p, depend into range of thepins 0, 0 0 and 0 so that as the'disk 0, is rotated, the succeeding pinsbeing on opposite sides of the disk, contact with the spring contacts pand p, alternately, that is to say the pin 0 contacts with the springcontact 13, the pin 0 contacts with the spring contact 19, and so on aswill be hereinafter more fully explained.

'r and r, are spring contacts disposed upon opposite sides of the disk0, in range of the pins o, 0 0 and o, and supported by means of aninsulating block W, carried by the framework 25 These spring contactsand r, are respectivelyconnected to conductors g and g forming part ofthe local circuit connections and the conductors q and g are adaptedrespectively to be alternately connected by means of a manual switch it,to the return conductor g and thence to the local battery q. For thesake of clearness, it may be remarked, that when the disk 0, is in theposition shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 8, a part of the local circuitconnections are as follows: from the battery q, through conductor q,coils of the magnet-j, conductor p frame i post 19 spring contact 19,detent 19, disk 0, pin oispringcontact r, and conductor (f. When thedisk 0, has been rotated through ninety degrees, the local circuitconnections would be as before described to the post 19 and thence theywould be by the spring contact p, and detent p, the disk 0, the pin 0',spring contact r, and conductor (1 Obviously, there is a positionapproximately midway of the travel of the disk 0, in turning ninetydegrees at which neither of the spring contacts r or 1', contact withany of the pins 0', 0 0 and 0.

The manual switch to, is provided with five contacts a, 10"", 1Z 1%, anda and with the usual insulating cylinder u, adapted to be rotatedthrough intervals of ninety degrees each with a snap by means of thethumb lever a acting through the intervention of a spiral spring a Twoof these contacts u and 10 being disposed diametrically opposite eachother are connected by means of conductors (Z and d with the respectivewires or conductors CZ and d, of the secondary or lamp circuit, and itmay be remarked, that the lamp e, being the one that is disposed at thedoorway or entrance is interposed in the conductor (Z The contact 163,is connected with the conductor g and the contacts 164 and 765, areconnected respectively with the conductors g and The spring rubbingsurfaces of the contacts to and 11. are constructed in the ordinarymanner and are dis posed in the same plane, so that the contact: ingbridge piece it, applied to the under side of the cylinder of, bridgesthem as shown in Fig. 6, after each two operations or turnings of thethumb lever 1/ The spring rubbing surfaces of the contact a are two innumber and are disposed indifferent planes as shown at the right-handside of Fig. 7, and each of the contacts u and a is provided with asingle spring rubbing contact and these spring rubbing contacts aredisposed in different planes corresponding with the planes of the springrubbing surfaces of the contact a From the foregoing construction,itfollows that in every position of the cylinderu, either the bridge pieceit", applied to the bottom of the cylinder u or the bridge piece uapplied to the top thereof, is in contact with one or the other of therubbing surfaces of the contact 21 Moreover one or the other of thecontacts a and a is in electrical connection with the contact aaccording as the top or bottom bridge piece a" or a is in engagementwith the contact 10 so that as the thumb lever a is turned, italternately makes and breaks the shunt circuit (Z 61 through theintervention of the bridge piece it, and consequently short circuits orincludes the lamps, and at each turn or slip of its movement transfersthe local circuit from the conductor (1 to either the conductor g orconductor (1 through the alternate intervention of the bridge pieces aand 11 The mode of operation of the hereinabove described apparatus maybe described as follows: Assuming that the parts of the apparatus are inthe position shown, more especiallyin Fig. 8, it is evident that theprimary circuit is broken because the spring contacts a and a, rest uponthe insulating parts m of the switch m; consequently there can be noloss or waste of current by leakage, and of course the lamps areextinguished. In order to light the lamps 6, contained in the hall,church, or other building, the attendant in charge will first want tolight the vestibule or hallway lamp e. However, it may be remarked thatuse may be made of the main switch it,- for interrupting the entiresecondary circuit. For this purpose he rotates the thumb lever 207, ofthe switch it, one stage, that is the cylinder a, is turned or snappedninety degrees. This rotation of the thumb lever causes the bottombridge piece a", to be turned out of engagement with the contacts a and11. (with the result that the shunt circuit oZ (Z is made) and intoengagement with one of the rubbing surfaces of the contact u and withthe rubbing surface of the contact a, whereby the local circuit iscompleted through the conductor g spring contact r, pin 0 spring contact19', frame i conductor p coils of the electro magnet j, conductor q,battery q, and conductor q. The completion of the local circuit in themanner above described causes the electro magnet j, to attract itsarmature i, against the influence of the springt, whereby the detent,lug or projection 'i, is drawn downward clear of the arm 72 while at thesame time, the rear end 2' is lifted out of the low part 7020f thecam-wheel 7t. VVhereupon the train of gears is permitted to move underthe influence of its motive power, thus causing the shaft Z, to berevolved. The revolution of the shaft Z, causes the high part 70, of thecam-wheel k, to engage with the end 2' of the armature lever and thuslock the detent, lug or projection 2', in depressed position and clearof the arms 71 The continued rotation of the shaft Z, causes the pin 0to pass from beneath the spring contact '1', whereby the local circuitthrough the conductor g is broken, and the further rotation of the shaftZ, causes the switch m, to be turned around until the contact brnshesnn, are bridged by the metallic conductors m and m thus completing theprimary circuit.

Simultaneously with the completion of the primary circuit, the disk 0,is revolved into such position that the end 1?, of the armature leverfalls by reason of the resiliency of the spring 25, (or by gravity),into the next low part of the cam-wheel 7c, whereby the detent, lug orprojection 1', comes into range with the arm 77. and thus preventsfurther movement of the train of gears. Prior to the arrest of the trainof gears, the pin 0', comes into contact with the spring contact 1',thus introducing the conductor g into the local circuit when the sameshall have been closed through the contact 0/ by the next operation ofthe thumb lever 117, which would occur, of course, when it is desired toextinguish the lights. It may be remarked, that after the lights havebeen lighted, any or all of the lamps e, may be extinguished or lightedat pleasure by means of keys on their sockets or in any preferredmanner. However, the lamp 6', must be permitted to burn until it isdesired to extinguish all the lamps and to ,cut the transformer out ofthe primary circuit b b. To extinguish allthe lights and cut thetransformer out of the primary circuit, the thumb lever n is turned inthe same direction through ninety degrees with the result that the lowerbridge piece M9, opens the shunt circuit d (1 thus extinguishing thelamps e, and with the result that the top bridge piece u closes thelocal circuit through the conductor (1 pin 0, spring contact p, anddetent p Whereupon the train of gears is again set in motion andsubsequently interrupts the primary circuit b I), through theintervention of the switch m. In this connection it may be remarked,that as soon as the switch to, is turned the lamps are extinguished thuscausing the absence of current except that due to leakage in the primarycircuit 6 11', whereby the switch m, is required to break the primarycircuit when it is carrying only the leakage current, so that sparkingat the terminals 02 n, is avoided, this interval between theinterruption of the primary and secondary circuits being due to the timeconsumed by the revolution of the train of gears. No spark of courseoccurs on closing the primary circuit although all the lamps interposedin the secondary circuit are turned on at the moment of closing theprimary circuit.

It Will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which my inventionappertains that modifications may be made in details without departingfrom the spirit thereof, hence I do not limit myself to the preciseconstruction and arrangement of parts hereinabove set forth andillustrated in the accompanying drawings, but

Having thus described the nature and objects of my invention, what Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A transformer system of electrical distribution comprising, a line,primary, secondary, and local circuits, positively driven circuit inparallel with the line circuit, a local circuit, positively drivenmechanism released by electro magnetic devices in the 10- cal circuitand adapted to make and break the local and primary circuits, automaticmeans for stopping said mechanism, and a switch for controlling thesecondary and local circuits, substantially as described.

3. A transformer system of electrical distribution comprising, a localcircuit having three conductors, a switch adapted to make and break thesecondary circuit and to connect one of the conductors of the localcircuit with each of the other two, positively driven mechanism adaptedto automatically check its own motion and provided with a switch for theprimary circuit and with a circuit maker and breaker for breaking thelocal circuit and for connecting one or the other of its two conductorswith the third, substantially as described.

4. In a transformer system of electrical distribution, a manual switchprovided with top and bottom bridge pieces and with three contacts,whereof one is provided with two rubbing surfaces and the others withone rubbing surface each, in combination with a local circuit havingthree conductors and an electro magnetic device for controllingpositively driven mechanism, substantially as described.

5. In a transformer system of electrical distribution the combinationof, positively driven mechanism provided with a three way circuitbreaker adapted to make circuit alternately with a pair of contactsprings and to intermittently break contact with both, a switch havingtwo bridge pieces and three contacts whereof one is provided with tworubbing surfaces and whereof the other two are provided with one rubbingsurface each, and an electric circuit having a conductor extending fromits source of electricity to the circuit breaker and having twoconductors from said contact springs to the switch contacts having onerubbing surface each, substantially as described.

6. In a transformer system of electrical distribution the combinationof, a primary circuit, a switch-and its actuating mechanism for saidcircuit, an armature lever tending to stop said driving mechanism, anelectro magnet and circuit connections for attracting said armature, anda positively driven cam-wheel for controlling said armature lever uponthe demagnetization of the electro magnet, substantially as described.

7. In a transformer system of electrical distribution the combinationof, a switch for making and breaking the primary circuit, positivelydriven gearing for actuating said switch, a pivotal armature leveradapted to release and check said mechanisn1,an electro magnet forcausing said armature to release the mechanism, a cam-wheel forpermitting said armature lever to check the mechanism, and a circuitbreaker adapted to break the circuit of the electro magnet when thearmature lever is controlled by the cam-wheel, substantially asdescribed.

8. A transformer system of electrical distribution comprising, aninduction coil and its primary and secondary circuits, a train ofpositively driven gearing adapted to operate a switch interposed in theprimary circuit, and a switch and its connections interposed in thesecondary circuit and adapted to set said mechanism in motion in orderto effect the breaking of the primary circuit subsequent to the decreaseof current in the secondary circuit, substantially as described.

9. In a transformer system of electrical distribution the combinationof, positively driven mechanism adapted to make and break the primarycircuit, a manual switch for interrupting the secondary circuit or anyportion thereof, and mechanical and electrical devices and circuitconnections controlled by said switch and adapted to govern saidmechanism, substantially as described.

10. In a transformer system of electrical distribution, mechanical andelectrical devices for breaking and making the primary circuit, and amanual switch and connections for cutting out and in the secondarycircuit and for controlling said mechanical and electrical devices,substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

PETER WRIGHT.

Witnesses:

A. B. STOUGHTON, K. M. GILLIGAN.

